Yu Lehuan listened to the sounds downstairs while lying motionless on the bed.
Although she had gained some Goodwill Points, they were merely a drop in the ocean when it came to her goal of returning home. Little Six had used its energy twice today, leaving both the system and its host extremely weak.
Yu Lehuan was still starving. Little Six told her to eat the compressed biscuit on the bed, but Yu Lehuan disliked its rough texture and how it scratched her throat. She would rather starve to death than eat it.
Little Six told her to go downstairs and ask the others for something else to eat.
Yu Lehuan remained sprawled on the bed like she was growing mold, completely unwilling to move. She claimed that her entire body ached and that she was too exhausted to get up.
【…Even if I used energy twice, there’s no way I should be this weak.】
In conclusion, she was simply lazy.
Little Six was on the verge of collapsing. It was afraid that Yu Lehuan might actually starve herself to death. It had never had such a lazy and delicate host before. Even if someone hung a biscuit around her neck, she probably would not turn her head to take a bite.
Night fell completely.
Thick clouds covered the moon, leaving the room in complete darkness. The zombies in the surrounding area had already been cleared out by Zhao Yan’s team.
Yu Lehuan could vaguely hear people talking downstairs. Knowing that she was safe, her tense nerves finally relaxed. Sleepiness soon washed over her, and she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Someone gently knocked on the bedroom door.
Yu Lehuan was fast asleep and did not hear it. Little Six stared intently at the doorway, trying to see who it was.
The person stood silently outside for a while. When there was no response from inside, he pushed the door open.
A soft glow entered the room.
It was Zhao Yan.
Little Six saw the tall man holding a candle in one hand and a bowl in the other. When it saw what was inside the bowl, it immediately became excited.
Chicken soup!
Yu Lehuan had been talking about wanting chicken soup earlier that day. Although it was rather simple, it was still far better than a compressed biscuit.
After Zhao Yan and the others finished clearing the nearby zombies, they were preparing to head back when they spotted a large nest resting on a tree branch not far away.
When Zhao Yan walked closer, he realized it was not a bird’s nest at all.
It was a chicken coop.
“Looks like even hens have been forced to learn how to climb trees these days.”
Wu You laughed as he spoke.
There was a hen inside, along with a nest full of eggs.
“Captain, let’s take the chicken back to the base. These eggs might even hatch into chicks. We can bring them back and have Chen Youyu raise them.”
Chen Youyu worked at the research institute in the base. Just imagining him raising chickens was enough to make Wu You burst out laughing.
Zhao Yan glanced at him.
“We’re not taking it back to the base. There’s no room in the vehicle.”
That was true.
They still had supplies to transport back, and now they also had to take Yu Lehuan with them. More importantly, chickens smelled terrible when they relieved themselves. Keeping one inside the enclosed vehicle would be an absolute disaster.
Zhao Yan knew that Yu Lehuan was different from them.
She could not even eat a compressed biscuit. When he had wiped away her tears earlier, he had barely used any force, yet faint red marks had still appeared on her skin.
With the chicken in hand, Zhao Yan headed back toward the little villa.
The teammates were delighted when they saw Zhao Yan carrying the chicken. They had not eaten meat in a long time.
Xiong Gang was about to take the chicken from Zhao Yan and prepare it for cooking when Zhao Yan simply bent his arm away from him and walked straight toward the kitchen.
“What’s going on? Is the captain going to cook for us?”
Wu You was excited.
Zhao Yan was an excellent cook.
“Gang, take the day off from cooking. Let the brothers have a good meal for once.”
Xiong Gang truly lived up to his name. He was tall and muscular, looking like a bear from afar and a mountain up close.
Xiong Gang scratched his head and gave a simple, honest smile.
“Then I’ll just wait to enjoy the captain’s cooking today.”
He was terrible at cooking, but apart from their captain, no one else on the team knew how to cook either. They were reluctant to let Zhao Yan cook, so the task had always fallen to Xiong Gang.
At the very least, he could make the food edible.
…
Zhao Yan placed the candle on the bedside table and looked at the sleeping Yu Lehuan.
Her small face was buried deep in the pillow, flushed from sleep. Her cherry-red lips were slightly parted, as though she was having a little trouble breathing, while her chest rose and fell gently with each breath.
Zhao Yan’s gaze fell on the pale, warm skin of her neck exposed above her collar.
A warm, sweet fragrance drifted toward him.
System 1066 watched the man stand there without waking Yu Lehuan and could not help becoming impatient.
The chicken soup would get cold!
Zhao Yan watched as Yu Lehuan slowly opened her eyes.
In the candlelight, her eyes were a clear tea-brown. Fresh from sleep, they were covered with a faint watery sheen as she looked at him with confusion and innocent bewilderment, as though wondering why she was here.
After a moment, she finally came back to herself.
Her nose twitched slightly.
Her gaze moved to the bowl of chicken soup before shifting back to him.
“I’m hungry.”
The way she announced that she was hungry was unexpectedly adorable.
Zhao Yan had never spent time with such a delicate and beautiful young woman before. Most women in the base were even stronger than the men. Because they were often at a disadvantage, they would do everything possible to survive.
The young woman before him looked as though she belonged to the world before the apocalypse.
No!
Even before the apocalypse, there had probably never been anyone as delicate and pampered as her.
Yu Lehuan watched him with lowered eyes.
Little Six had just woken her and told her that this man had been standing there for quite some time.
She listened to Little Six’s excited voice.
【This man’s Goodwill Points are higher than everyone else’s. As long as we follow him, we won’t have to worry about anything!】
Zhao Yan finally spoke.
“If you’re hungry, then eat.”
After saying that, he turned and prepared to leave.
Yu Lehuan suddenly let out a muffled groan and curled up beneath the blanket. Her misty eyes looked toward him as she covered her chest with one hand.
“It hurts so much…”
Zhao Yan immediately turned around and crouched beside her.
“Where are you hurt?”
As he spoke, he pulled out his walkie-talkie.
“Chen Youyu, come upstairs.”